In this post, Thalia Blacking, describes the recent Celebration of Culture at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, which aimed to celebrate the wealth of sociocultural experience held within the undergraduate student body. Thalia is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. This post is part of the Student Partnership Agreement 2024 series.
In March 2024, we held a Celebration of Culture at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (R(D)SVS), supported by the IAD’s Student Partnership Agreement (SPA) funding. The funding call provided an ideal kick-start for an idea developed a few years previously, but put to one side during SARS-Cov-2 restrictions. A few e-mails later, a small team of enthusiastic students and staff had formed – and we were delighted when we learned that our application had been successful.
The aim of the event
For our event, we wanted to celebrate the wealth of sociocultural experience held within our diverse undergraduate student body. We have home students from regions all over Scotland, the UK and Ireland, as well as international students from all over the world, each with their own unique history and identity.
Our students spend a lot of time together out here at Easter Bush, but the intensity and focus of the veterinary programme dominates their time and attention. We wanted to provide an opportunity to socialise informally, to enjoy not only each other’s company but the richness of each other’s experience. It was also important that finance shouldn’t be a barrier to participation, hence our application for funds to allow costs incurred in preparing anything being presented at the event to be reimbursed.
Finding a date that would allow everyone to join was challenging. We eventually identified a Monday afternoon in early March, ideally placed as an opportunity to relax after major assessments for some years, or as a pick-me-up towards the end of a long term for those who faced them in the following weeks.
Our invitation was wide open: students were invited to share any aspect of culture – however they wished to interpret that – important to them. This could represent a national, regional, local or personal / family connection. We anticipated that things would revolve largely around food, but were keen that information and insight, art and craft and particularly music and dance could also feature.
Students could sign up – individually or in groups – to present a ‘stall’, at which they might serve food or drink or share something else of their choice. We also invited applications from those who might like to play, sing or dance – solo, as a group, or even as part of an ensemble with some of our staff musicians…. We encouraged participants to submit images and slides for a presentation to provide a colourful backdrop to the afternoon. We also asked for a couple of suggestions for a playlist, to provide a little ‘ambience’ between live performances!
We advertised the event to the School by e-mail and during classes, and received some fabulous, imaginative ideas for both stalls and performances. Unusually for students working within a packed and prescriptive curriculum, there was no “assignment brief” and no expectation; we understood that our students are busy and nothing was expected to be polished or perfect.
On the day
We transformed our large seminar room into a colourful space suitable for our celebration, with bunting and our rolling slide / photo presentation, as well as large maps of the UK & Ireland and of the world accompanied with coloured pens and Post-Its for annotation. Everyone on campus was invited, with a Saltire of Irn-Bru shots and piles of teacakes and caramel wafers at the door to greet our guests.
The variety and vibrancy of stalls exceeded all our expectations! Amongst the offerings were Sri Lankan fritters, Staffordshire oatcakes and sushi, Taiwanese bubble tea and Tayto crisps (the Northern version…!), Canadian Nainamo bars and Moroccan mint tea. The Persian Haft-Seen table was perfectly timed to welcome the coming of spring – and a queue quickly formed at the mehendi henna stall, the beautiful and intricate hand designs adding to the festive atmosphere.
Once the event was in full swing, a small group of staff musicians kicked off the performances with a couple of Klezmer tunes, after which attendees were treated to a varied programme, with Indian dance (Bollywood and Bhangra) and traditional Irish melodies, contemporary songs and Scottish dancing – we even managed a (slightly chaotic) ceilidh despite the tight space (video below)! We were very grateful to Fraser Fifield, the University’s Traditional Artist in Residence, who kindly joined us to support the various staff/student ensembles.
So, how did it go?
Given that many commented that it had been the highlight of their year, we considered the afternoon a great success! As an organiser and teacher, it was wonderful to see students from all years relaxing, mingling and enjoying each other’s company – also learning, but in a relaxed and informal way. Our students’ training involves developing the ability to speak to other people and communicate confidently – but this can be intimidating in the academic setting, with the chance of getting the answer “wrong”, or more generally that they might say the “wrong thing”. In this forum, each student presenting was the “expert”. It was a delight to see them take on that role with easy confidence and enthusiasm.
It’s not a university’s role to teach students what to think or what opinions they should have – indeed, we can encourage them to recognise that an inclusive, cohesive society needs and welcomes varied perspectives and contributions. What matters is for everyone to see each other’s humanity, respect each other’s differences, and work together to sustain a bright, welcoming community in which everyone can flourish.
Student-Staff Partnership Team and Celebration of Culture Organising Group
- Ned Binns (BVM&S Y3 UG)
- Nandini Paalavadyala Sharma (BVM&S Y3 UG)
- Anna Rickard (BVM&S Y2 UG)
- Alexi Voudouris (BVM&S Y5 UG)
- Thalia Blacking (Staff; Primary project applicant)
- Sílvia Perez-Espona (Staff)
- Jenna Richardson (Staff)
- Thalia Blacking (Staff)
Thalia Blacking
Thalia is Senior Lecturer in Applied Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. She has been working for some time on initiatives to promote inclusivity and a sense of belonging for all students within the R(D)SVS community, hoping to achieve this through a spirit of mutual understanding and connection, rather than by drawing lines or highlighting differences as divisions.
